David R. Horton

Education

Ph.D., Entomology Colorado State University (1987)

Areas of Interest

I have 3 primary areas of interest:

Biological control in pear and apple orchards. My primary area of study involves developing means for enhancing biological control in orchards by manipulation of habitat both inside and outside of the orchard. I am studying how orchard ground cover affects densities and impact of natural enemies in orchards. Concurrently, I have a large study addressing whether native habitats adjacent to orchards are important sources of natural enemies moving into orchards.

Biology and behavior of Anthocoridae. A large portion of my research program includes the study of anthocorid bugs, important predators in agricultural and native ecosystems. I am studying insects in the genus Anthocoris, emphasizing sexual behavior, host plant use, and life history characteristics, particularly with respect to how these traits vary among species or among geographic populations within species.

Chemical ecology of wireworms. I have a large research program studying the behavior of adults and larvae of beetles in the Family Elateridae (“click beetles”), important pests in vegetable and grain crops worldwide. My interests are to determine how adult beetles find one another for mating, with aims eventually to develop monitoring tools for adult beetles. Also, I am studying the behavior of the larval form, with objectives to learn what cues are used by larvae in locating the host plant.